Tavreshyudgimel

Tavreshyudgimel, typically written in Hebrew as תרי"ג and transliterated as tarig or taryig, is the sequence of four letters that is conventionally used to denote the number 613 in rabbinic Judaism. The letters correspond to 400 (ת), 200 (ר), 10 (י), and 3 (ג), which sum to 613, the traditional total count of commandments in the Torah. The term תריג or תרי"ג functions as an acronym or mnemonic rather than representing a single commandment or category.

The concept of 613 mitzvot originates in medieval rabbinic literature and became a standard framework for discussing the Torah’s commandments. The most influential enumeration is found in Maimonides’ Sefer Hamitzvot, with further development and discussion in works such as Sefer HaChinuch. Because different criteria can lead to variations in what is counted as a mitzvah, some scholars and later writings discuss small discrepancies in the total, though 613 remains the conventional figure.

In practice, תריג is used as shorthand for the entire corpus of commandments—positive and negative—that govern Jewish religious and civil life. It is not itself a singular commandment or ritual, but a label for the comprehensive framework derived from the Torah and its rabbinic interpretations. Related topics include the 613 mitzvot as a whole, Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvot, and Sefer HaChinuch, which explore the enumeration, categorization, and application of these commandments.